Imants Barušs' Books

Transcendent Mind: Rethinking the
Science of Consciousness

American Psychological Association, 2017

Julia
Mossbridge and I decided that it was time for a post-materialist book about the
nature of consciousness, so we wrote one. This is it! We like it a lot! The
following is the description of the book from the back cover, along with some
endorsements and reviews:

Where does consciousness come from? For most scientists and
laypeople, it is axiomatic that something in the substance of the brain —
neurons, synapses and gray matter in just the right combination — create
perception, self-awareness, and intentionality. Yet despite decades of
neurological research, that "something" — the mechanism by which this process is
said to occur — has remained frustratingly elusive. This is no accident, as the
authors of this book argue, given that the evidence increasingly points to a
startling fact: consciousness may not, in fact, reside in the brain at all.
In this wide-ranging and deeply scientific book, Imants Barušs and Julia
Mossbridge utilize findings from special relativity and quantum mechanics,
modern and ancient philosophers, and paranormal psychology to build a rigorous,
detailed investigation into the origins and nature of human consciousness.
Along the way, they examine the scientific literature on concepts including
mediumship, out-of-body and near-death experiences, telekinesis, "apparent"
versus "deep time," and mind-to-mind communication, and introduce eye-opening
ideas about our shared reality.
The result is a revelatory tour of the "post-materialist" world — and a
roadmap for consciousness research in the twenty-first century.

Transcendent Mind is a landmark text in the history of western
psychology. It is perhaps the first postmaterialist psychology textbook of the
21st century. It offers a rational analysis of theories of consciousness and a
rigorous discussion of essentially all the data collected in western science
that speak to the possibility of shared mind, and mind without brain. It is
data-driven yet open-minded and scholarly, yet accessible. It should be required
reading for a new generation of consciousness investigators. —Leanna
J. Standish, PhD, ND, LAc, FABNO, Professor, School of Naturopathic Medicine,
Bastyr University, Kenmore, WA; and School of Public Health, School of Medicine,
University of Washington, Seattle

Few people on the planet can match Imants Barušs and Julia Mossbridge in
their familiarity with and understanding of the relevant research and in their
perspective to put that research into context. Transcendent Mind stands
out among other books on consciousness in its consideration of all the data both
for and against various interpretations, and in its rigorous scientific thinking
about mind–body interactions. —Bruce Greyson, MD, Carlson Professor
Emeritus of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences, University of Virginia
School of Medicine, Charlottesville

Here is a breath of clean fresh air for the serious explorer of
consciousness. I've waited my whole career for such a book, given to us now by
two of the foremost researchers in the field. —Allan Leslie Combs,
PhD, Doshi Professor of Consciousness Studies and Director, Center for
Consciousness Studies, California Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco;
President, The Society for Consciousness Studies; author of Consciousness
Explained Better: Towards an Integral Understanding of the Multifaceted Nature
of Consciousness

Should be compulsory reading for every student of parapsychology, the
paranormal, spirituality and life itself. The authors have done a magnificent
job translating scientific research to make a compelling case for consciousness
separate from the brain. They are both highly respected in their field and this
book is destined to become an important one for generations of students to come.
Shame about the price but for the amount of golden research collated and
articulated in there it is worth every penny. Simply brilliant.
—Book Lover, Amazon.com, September 6, 2016

I cannot rate this book highly enough! This is simply the most intelligent
consideration of this topic in print. The meticulous research, honesty even when
it is not in favor of the hypothesis, collection of data, and the absolutely
brilliant offering of multiple interpretations of data is unsurpassed.
—R. Pickering, Amazon.com, September 19, 2016

Once upon a time, not so long ago, there was a kingdom called
Science whose citizens were guided by a uniform belief — that their
consciousness is produced by the chemistry, physiology, and anatomy
of the physical brain. Forfeited in this belief was the capacity for
free will, as well as any higher meaning and purpose to existence.
The possibility that consciousness might survive the physical death
of the brain and body was considered heretical and blasphemous.
Enormous pressure was exerted on the guardians of science to conform
to the concept of materialism undergirding this precious belief
system. In support of these beliefs, the centurions of science
marshaled enormous bodies of data that, they were convinced,
confirmed their views. They were so emphatic in their position that
data to the contrary were largely dismissed as irrelevant, and those
who dared to challenge the materialistic perspective were often
denigrated as traitors to the scientific tradition. But just when
the materialistic perspective was considered beyond reproach and
safe from significant challenge, there came this shocking
announcement from two prominent consciousness researchers: “We are
in the midst of a sea change. Receding from view is materialism,
whereby physical phenomena are assumed to be primary and
consciousness is regarded as secondary. Approaching our sights is a
complete reversal of perspective. According to this alternative
view, consciousness is primary and the physical is secondary. In
other words, materialism is receding and giving way to ideas about
reality in which consciousness plays a key role.” This is the
opening salvo of Transcendent Mind: Rethinking the Science of
Consciousness (page 3). I have introduced my comments about
Transcendent Mind as a kind of fairy tale, a product of the
imagination, because that is how this book may be regarded by those
who have not followed the revelations of consciousness research for
the past few decades. Across this period, a formidable body of data
has accumulated that the materialistic credo is not merely off base
in a few minor details, but is fundamentally flawed beyond repair.
The trend toward this view is “quietly occurring within a swiftly
evolving and increasingly postmaterialist paradigm,” the authors
contend. The explanation of how this “sea change” has come about is
the theme of Transcendent Mind. In their challenge to
materialism, authors Barušs and Mossbridge contend that “the deep
structures underlying our waking consciousness are fundamentally
spatially and temporally nonlocal in nature (page 81).” The
implications for our understanding of our own minds, and the
practical ways in which we lead our lives, are enormous. The
authors explore empirical data, too long ignored, indicating that
“consciousness is capable of existing in an extended or transcendent
state in which it is not completely bound to the brain (page 171).”
This data supports the concept of “shared mind,” minds linked across
space and time to form a collective, unitary human consciousness.
This view of nonlocal, shared, transcendent mind is supported by
abundant empirical evidence, as the authors show, such as near-death
experiences, telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition. These
phenomena might be predicted from an “unconstrained mind that is
directly connected to other minds, probably outside the usual
confines of space and apparent time (page 177).” Do not suppose
that the idea that consciousness is fundamental and irreducible to
anything more basic is some hare-brained notion conjured in the
fever dreams of wayward new agers, as is often charged. In fact,
consciousness as fundamental has an impressive pedigree. It has been
endorsed by some of the greatest figures of twentieth-century
science such as Max Planck, the founder of quantum physics: “I
regard consciousness as fundamental. I regard matter as derivative
from consciousness. We cannot get behind consciousness. Everything
that we talk about, everything that we regard as existing,
postulates consciousness.” Erwin Schrödinger, the Nobel
Prize-winning physicist, agreed: “Although I think that life may be
the result of an accident, I do not think that of consciousness.
Consciousness cannot be accounted for in physical terms. For
consciousness is absolutely fundamental. It cannot be accounted for
in terms of anything else.” As to the contention of Barušs and
Mossbridge of shared, unitary minds, we find Schrödinger in
agreement: “The overall number of minds is just one…. In truth there
is only one mind.” And as the eminent physicist David Bohm observed,
“Deep down the consciousness of mankind is one. This is a virtual
certainty … and if we don’t see this it’s because we are blinding
ourselves to it.” (Citations for these quotations are available in
my book One Mind, mentioned below.) If you are not intrigued by
the evidence in Transcendent Mind, well, bear in mind the adage,
“There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which
is proof against all arguments and which cannot fail to keep a man
in everlasting ignorance — that principle is contempt prior to
investigation.” But if you are among those who are hesitant to
adopt materialism as part of your personal credo, this erudite,
reader-friendly book will perhaps fill in some of the blanks on your
map of reality. You may discover not only empirical evidence for
transcendent, shared mind, but for a transcendent reality as well.
—Larry Dossey, MD, Author: One Mind: How Our Individual Mind Is
Part of a Greater Consciousness and Why It Matters, Amazon.com,
September 23, 2016

In the times in which we live, every
aspect of our lives as members of our civil society and as
individuals is touched, colored, and largely controlled by the
foundational world view held by the major scientific,
academic,corporate, and political entities. And while this
arrangement is normal enough, if the foundational world view is
inadequate or flawed, everything that follows will have and perhaps
magnify those inadequacies and flaws. This has been the case for a
few centuries ever since science began to view the world through the
lens of lifeless atoms. Reducing matter, even complex human beings
into nothing more than "complex collections of molecules" makes it
OK to depersonalize people, treat animals as industrial inputs, and
treat our environmental resources as ours to exploit. The fly in
this ointment is the chance that this world view is flawed; that
consciousness is a fundamental force of existence; that we are all
connected; that in the web of life everything affects everything
else. For there to be a change from the prevailing world view, the
change will have to come from the community of science, as that is
where the foundation lays. And for that change to start, there has
to be a set of first principles set down, there has to be and
agreement on the definition of words and terms, and there has to be
sufficient research all ready done, even if not widely recognized,
that both refutes the current world view and lays a more or less
clear path towards an imagined future, better world view. This is
precisely what this book achieves. It is a foundational text in the
path to this new world view. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
—Dr David Shuch, Amazon.com, February 9, 2017

"[This] book is an invaluable addition to the literature arguing that
consciousness (however defined) plays a key role, and perhaps an essential role,
in the construction of reality (however defined). It is radical, even at times
outrageous, but it makes its case elegantly and (for many readers) persuasively."
—Stanley Krippner, Journal of Scientific Exploration,
31(1), pp. 94–97.

"I strongly recommend it to anyone involved with science or deeply interested in
the nature of mind."—Charles Tart, May 4, 2017 blog on
http://blog.paradigm-sys.com/.

"According to journalistic protocol, reviewers are expected to
include some criticism to demonstrate their critical distancing and
objectivity, since no book is perfect. I’ll break tradition, because
my objections are trivial when compared to this book’s overall
contribution. This is simply a flatout courageous, evidence-based,
tightly reasoned document that no doubt will infuriate many paid-up
materialists who read it—but that is one of the best compliments
that a book of this genre could receive."—Larry Dossey, Journal of Scientific Exploration,
31(1), pp. 98–110.

"Possibly one of the most important books I've read in several years - truly groundbreaking.
I can't recommend it highly enough. Absolutely superb production and design as well."—Lorin
Cutts, Amazon.com, June 13, 2017

"Excellent research in
parapsychology is done year in and year out, yet is almost never
published in mainstream scientific journals. This excellent book
takes apart the often flippant criticisms against such research and
exposes the fact that rigorous studies are all to often dismissed,
simply because the subject matter is rejected out of hand. Perhaps
this book represents a break in the dam of mainstream bias, having
been published by the American Psychological Association Press. I
hope so. Serious consideration of the emerging paradigm shift in the
science of consciousness and the mind is long overdue." — Steve
Blumberg, Amazon.com, October 19, 2018

Transcendent Mind
can be purchased from the publisher
APA Books, from
Amazon.com, from
Amazon.ca, or from your favourite bookseller. Enjoy reading
it!

The Impossible Happens: A Scientist's
Personal Discovery of the Extraordinary Nature of Reality

Iff Books, 2013

I wrote this book because I have
found that my students can often relate to personal experiences better than they
can relate to scientific studies. In this case, these are some of the personal
experiences that I have had that, along with empirical evidence from scientific
studies, have led me away from materialism toward a transcendent view of
reality. In particular, I describe the sequence of dreams that I had over the
course of several decades that led me to realize that some of my dreams
anticipate future events. In addition, I talk about some of my efforts at
distance healing and my experiences with a medium who regularly produces correct
information that was not acquired through ordinary means. It is my hope that my
experiences can provide an inspiration for others to explore these phenomena for
themselves.

Gary Schwartz kindly wrote the
following blurb for the book: "Sometimes the most convincing and meaningful data
come not from the university laboratory but from the laboratory of personal
life. Dr. Imants Baruss practices the integration of academic and self-science
in an inspiring and compelling manner. This book stunningly illustrates how the
trained scientific mind can help reveal the seemingly impossible in everyday
life." - Gary E. Schwartz, PhD, Professor of Psychology and Medicine at the
University of Arizona, author of THE AFTERLIFE EXPERIMENTS and THE SACRED
PROMISE.

And here's a review: "Imants
Baruss is not claiming that the logically impossible happens. He doesn't claim
to have found a round square, for example, or a colorless blue disk. But he does
claim to have experienced some things that seem to be physically impossible —
things such as dreaming of a future event before it happens, healing someone at
a distance through mental imagery, curing a lesion on his own liver by analyzing
his dreams, and communicating with dead people. It is perfectly reasonable to be
skeptical about such claims. What is so effective about the approach Imants
takes in this book is that he shows that it is also perfectly reasonable to be
open-minded about these claims, for he describes his experiences and explains
his thinking about them in a way that is consistent with the basic principle of
empiricism: try it and see for yourself. ~ Jack Call, PhD, Professor of
Philosophy, Citrus College, author of God is a Symbol of Something True

Here's an unsolicited e-mail that
I received on January 10, 2014: "> ......just finished reading it. I wailed
through it. It was surprising to me that I would peel through a book that fast.
I could not put it down. What a journey! Thank you for choosing the courage to
be vulnerable and exposing an experience that is difficult to prove
scientifically as a scientist. An experiential component combined with
discernment is worth a scientific investigation and measure. Human beings
experience more than our brain can define. It was like reading a science project
combined with the authors personal experience at the same time. I struggle not
to write my own opinions, but I discern that through physical and
psycho/spiritual experiences one discovers we are not just cognitive beings.
Empirical evidence need not be proven within these experiences but rather living
through the heart is evidence enough and ultimately heals us from within and
without. In witnessing that, perhaps there is nothing to prove. Or is there?"
--- Monica Antonowitsch

Copies of The Impossible
Happens can be obtained from the publisher,
John Hunt Publishing, or the usual booksellers. The book is also available
on about 17 different e-book platforms, including iTunes.

Science as a Spiritual Practice

Imprint Academic, 2007

Science as a Spiritual Practice is in three parts. In the first part I
argue that there are problems with materialism and that self-transformation
could lead individual scientists to more comprehensive ways of understanding
reality. In the second part I take on the contentious notion of inner knowledge
and show how access to inner knowledge could be possible in some altered states
of consciousness. The third part is an analysis of the philosophy of Franklin
Wolff, who claimed that the transcendent states of consciousness which occurred
for him resulted from his mathematical approach to spirituality. The following
are the jacket blurbs:

"Science as a Spiritual Practice is a remarkable achievement, of which
many of the patriarchs of science, such as Bacon and Newton, would likely
approve. They would probably marvel at the banishment of spirituality from
science that has occurred in the modern era, and the irrational tenacity with
which it remains tabooed. Baruss's courageous, insightful book redresses this
development. His perspective makes science more scientific, not less."

"Science is now recognizing spiritual change and higher transcendent
conscious states. This book is at the cutting edge of neuroscience and spiritual
practice. It is essential reading for any scientist seeking consciousness
development."

-- Peter Fenwick, MD, President of the Scientific and Medical
Network

I also received the
following endorsement:

"Science as spiritual
practice is a highly thought provoking book and is a must read for any
open-minded scientist who is interested in the nature of reality."

-- Amit
Goswami, Professor Emeritus of Physics, University of Oregon, and author of
The Self-Aware Universe and other books

And from the
reviews:

"The author is
a true scientist, and one of the delights of this book is the way in which his
scientific curiosity keeps bubbling out to descriptions of surveys carried out
under his supervision to investigate aspects of deeper experience . . ."

-- Chris
Clarke, networkreview, Summer 2007, pp. 47-48

"There is a
mature outlook to the book, an awareness that spirituality can make your life
more difficult . . . . There is no programme here, mind, but nor does the book
consist of just discussion and chatter. . . . Overall, Science as a Spiritual
Practice presents a thought-provoking discussion of the possible rewards and
costs of a particular kind of spiritual journey. If you're at an existential
crossroads, whatever they look like when they're at home, it could well be a
catalyst for change."

Alterations of Consciousness: An Empirical Analysis for Social Scientists

American Psychological Association, 2003

This book is an overview of alterations of consciousness such as daydreaming,
sleep, dreaming, hypnosis, and psychedelics. I have included some
less-traditional alterations such as sensory restriction, trance, transcendence, and near-death experiences. But also some truly controversial ones such as
possession, alien-abduction experiences, and past-life experiences. Throughout, I have tried to give an even-handed presentation of the subject matter.
While the book is primarily an academic book that I wrote for use as a textbook in my general level altered states of consciousness course, it would also
be of interest to scientists looking for an overview of altered states of consciousness, and general readers with an interest in consciousness. I tried, as much
as possible, to write the book in an engaging style. From the reviews:

"[Barušs] describes and critiques the various scientific approaches, all with a combination of brisk research summaries, a narrative sense of how one
question leads to another and an engaging, almost conversational style. . . . Though billed as 'An Empirical Analysis for Social Scientists,' this volume
should prove useful to anyone seriously interested in research on these subjects and on the questions left for future research."

-- William Kowinski, San Francisco Chronicle

"Alterations of Consciousness is the product of Baruss' keen insights, his focus
on the ideas behind research, the many theoretical connections that he
successfully makes, and his multifaceted approach to the subject matter. The
book is quite interesting and engaging. It can intrigue readers who are looking
for an introduction to the topic of consciousness, and still challenge those who
have enough background knowledge to disagree or concur with some of Baruss'
claims. This is a book that puts readers on a pedestal, gives them the tools to
understand a complex subject, and then dares them to think deeply about it. At
the end, readers may not always agree with Baruss' view of things, but they will
undoubtedly savor the realization that they have learned a great deal about
consciousness by reading this book."

Authentic Knowing: The Convergence of Science and Spiritual Aspiration

Purdue University Press, 1996

What I tried to do in this book was to show how science and spiritual aspiration converge on fundamental questions about the nature of
consciousness and
reality when authentically pursued. The book includes chapters about authenticity (what it means to be true to oneself), science (what happens when
science encounters the sublime), transcendence (the promise of enlightenment), theory (a theosophical model of reality), and self-transformation
(adventures and misadventures of a spiritual aspirant). From the reviews:

"All in all, the book provides enjoyable, enlightening, and thought provoking reading. . . . Throughout, the author proves to be a worthy and mature guide
for a journey that contemplates both the spoken and the unspoken, the seen and the unseen, and keeps its sojourners within light's bounds."

-- Thomas W. Draper, Journal of Consciousness Studies

For more information or to purchase a copy, see the publisher's web page:
PUP.

The Personal Nature of Notions of Consciousness

A Theoretical and Empirical Examination of the Role of the Personal in the Understanding of Consciousness

University Press of America, 1990

This book is my doctoral dissertation in which my supervisor Robert Moore and I tried to circumscribe the state of scientific knowledge concerning consciousness in the mid-1980s and to better understand the disparity of notions of consciousness of the scientists and academics studying it. What we
found, both through theoretical and empirical investigation, was that there is a material-transcendent dimension concerning beliefs about consciousness and reality that underlies the Western intellectual tradition, which, in particular, colours the manner in which research about consciousness is conducted.
From the reviews:

"[This book makes] a valuable first contribution to the important project of empirically establishing a typology of views of
consciousness."

-- Roger Walsh, Journal of Transpersonal Psychology

For more information or to purchase a copy, see the publisher's web page:
UPA.